edsitement/neh logospacer gif top spacer gif
SearchSitemapContact UsCalendarHome
Subject Catalogue
Art & CultureLiterature & Language ArtsForeign LanguageHistory & Social Studies
header bottom spacer gifAll Lesson PlansAll Subject CategoriesEDSITEment-reviewed websites
subject catalogue thinkfinity logo Natinal Endowment for the Humanities home page
Open Printable Lesson Plan
 



 
  Battle of Brandywine.
Courtesy of American Memory at the Library of Congress.

  

Subject Areas
History and Social Studies
   U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government
   U.S. History - Colonial America and the New Nation
 
Time Required
 NOTE: Additional time may be needed for teachers to help students with skills involved in the use of primary sources. The allotments also assume students will use the primary documents.
Lesson One: What Are the Qualities of a Good Military Leader?: Two class sessions.
Lesson Two: Powers and Problems: Two class sessions.
Lesson Three: Leadership in Victory and Defeat: Two class sessions.
Lesson Four: Leadership in Victory: One Last Measure of the Man: One class session.
 
Skills
 Using primary sources
Working collaboratively
Comparing and contrasting
Making inferences and drawing conclusions
Map reading
Critical thinking
Information gathering
Oral interpretation
 
Curriculum Unit
What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader?
 
Additional Data
 Date Created: 12/16/03
 
Additional Student/Teacher Resources
 PDF files
Blackline Master (PDF file) for this curriculum unit

Congress Expands Washington’s Powers (Interactive assessment tool) )

George Washington as Commander in Chief (Interactive assessment tool)
 
Date Posted
 12/16/2003
 
Feedback
  Send us your thoughts about this lesson!
 
Email this Lesson
  Send this lesson to friends or colleagues
 

What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? Powers and Problems

Lesson Two of Curriculum Unit:
What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader?

Guiding Questions:

  • What qualities made George Washington an effective general?
  • How were the responsibilities of the Commander-in-Chief affected by conditions during the Revolutionary War?
  • How did Washington's responses to these challenges demonstrate his ability to handle a wide range of problems?

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
  • List qualities they believe made George Washington an effective military leader.
  • Discuss some difficulties Washington faced as Commander-in-Chief.
  • Discuss how Washington responded to the difficulties he faced as the leader of the Continental Army.
Before students research the battles included in this lesson, take time to review, if necessary, the basic strategic advantages and disadvantages held by both sides in the conflict. Remind the class that England in 1776 was the world's greatest naval power. Show the class a map of the eastern United States, Atlantic Ocean, and England. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each side, such as those listed below, as well as any others.
  • English advantages
    • Superior naval power
    • Large, professional fighting force
    • Greater manufacturing capabilities
    • Wealth of the country
    • Support from loyalists within the colonies
  • English disadvantages
    • Distance from England to the colonies for re-supply, transporting troops, and communication
    • Lack of motivation of professional soldiers compared to the Patriots
    • Lack of motivation among the citizens of England to finance a long, costly war
    • Hesitancy to abandon traditional tactics not well suited for the conditions in America
    • Overconfidence
  • Patriot advantages
    • Fighting on familiar ground
    • Motivation of soldiers defending the homeland
    • Flexibility of tactics
    • Many colonists skilled with rifles, despite lack of military training
    • Leadership of George Washington
  • Patriot disadvantages
    • Lack of a trained fighting force
    • Difficulties in recruiting and, especially, keeping soldiers beyond short enlistment periods
    • Presence of loyalists to the British crown
    • Lack of supplies
    • A long coastline with major cities vulnerable to attack from the sea
    • Lack of naval power
Remind students to keep these advantages and disadvantages in mind as they read about how Washington dealt with the problems he encountered.

Divide the class into small groups. Ask students to compare the first set of Washington's Instructions (June 20, 1775), on the EDSITEment resource American Memory, to the section of the Journals of the Continental Congress for Friday, December 27, 1776, also on American Memory, in which Congress expanded Washington's powers. If desired, use the handout "Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789," on pages 3-6 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions), to assign parts of the latter document to each of four groups.

Each group should make a list of the differences between the first set of Washington's Instructions (June 20, 1775) and the instructions and powers granted on Friday, December 27, 1776. If desired, students can use the chart "Congress Expands Washington's Powers," on page 7 of the PDF file (also available as an Interactive Assessment Tool), in making the comparison. What problems with the army in its first year and a half of operation were indicated by the instructions? Underlying the trust indicated by Congress in giving Washington enhanced powers was a belief that he had the leadership qualities to follow through. What qualities of leadership were required? Remind students that they are only speculating at this point as to the qualities of leadership to be required of Washington.

In the next activity, students will see the practical things Washington had to do day after day to keep the Continental Army going. It must be noted, however, that the respect the men had for Washington, based on his personal charisma, was also a very important factor.

Share this quote from the Diary of Albigence Waldo, Surgeon at Valley Forge, 1777 on From Revolution to Reconstruction, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet Public Library:

See the poor Soldier, when in health—with what cheerfulness he meets his foes and encounters every hardship—if barefoot, he labours thro' the Mud and Cold with a Song in his mouth extolling War and Washington—if his food be bad, he eats it notwithstanding with seeming content—blesses God for a good Stomach and Whistles it into digestion.
Now assign small student groups one or two of the selections below from Washington's wartime correspondence, looking for indications of the problems he faced and the qualities and actions he relied on to overcome them. Documents may suggest answers to any or all of the following:
  • What kinds of problems was the Continental Army facing?
  • How did supply problems affect the running of the Continental Army?
  • How did Washington attempt to solve the supply problems?
  • What indications of long-range planning or lack thereof do you find? Indications of military strategy?
  • What issues arose regarding the relationship between military and civil authority?
  • What is the tone of Washington's letters to Congress? To civil authorities? To correspondents in the military?
  • What can you determine or hypothesize about the recipient of each letter? What was the purpose of the letter? What circumstances led Washington to write at this time? What results did Washington hope for?
Each group is to select one or more quotes from its assigned letters indicating difficulties with which Washington had to deal and leadership qualities he demonstrated. Make note of the date and location. Assign group members to summarize their document(s), read the quote(s) the group chose, and briefly explain to the class what the document(s) indicates about problems Washington faced or the leadership he demonstrated.

A complete list of the following documents, suitable for distribution to students, is available in the handout "Annotated Excerpts from Lesson Two Documents" on pages 8-17 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions). Full-text versions are available by clicking on the links below. Unless otherwise noted, all documents are from the PBS website Liberty! The American Revolution, a link from the EDSITEment resource American Memory.

NOTE: In lieu of using the documents listed above, if desired, student groups can browse through letters and select documents on their own from these EDSITEment resources: When all the groups have prepared summaries, selected quotes, had a group member (or members) practice reading them, and prepared their conclusions about the leadership qualities demonstrated, have students share their information in chronological order. When all documents have been shared, discuss conclusions students can derive from the accumulated information. What problems Washington faced were particularly persistent? How well was Washington able to deal with the variety and quantity of problems he faced? What can you learn from the various locations from which Washington wrote?

Assessment

Have students complete the second chart—"George Washington: Commander-in-Chief"—in the handout "The Qualities of a Good Military Leader According to Socrates" on page 2 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions), or have them use the Interactive Version. Discuss the results. In what ways had Washington become a better leader since his first military command?

Previous lesson

Next lesson

Return to Curriculum Unit: Overview What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader?

Selected EDSITEment Websites


Standards Alignment

View your state’s standards

  
   
  NEH logoVerizon logo
   
 EDSITEment contains a variety of links to other websites and references to resources available through government, nonprofit, and commercial entities. These links and references are provided solely for informational purposes and the convenience of the user. Their inclusion does not constitute an endorsement. For more information, please click the Disclaimer icon. 
 
Disclaimer
 

Disclaimer | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy

Search | Site Map | Contact Us
AP History | Art & Culture | Literature & Language Arts | Foreign Language | History & Social Studies | All Subject Categories | All Lesson Plans | All Web Sites
Reference Shelf | Professional Opportunities | About EDSITEment | Calendar | This Month's Feature | Special Features | Constitution Day | Presidents
Thinkfinity | National Endowment for the Humanities | After School